Summer Squash Soup with Cured Strawberries
Soup:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 lb Red Dog Farm Squash, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 lb Red Dog Farm Squash, coarsely chopped
3/4 tsp fresh Thyme leaves
1 c vegetable stock
1/4 c sour cream
1 tsp salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 c vegetable stock
1/4 c sour cream
1 tsp salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Strawberries:
1/2 lb fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp sugarTo make the soup: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the squash and thyme and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the squash is soft all the way through. Take off the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
1/2 lb fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp sugarTo make the soup: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the squash and thyme and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the squash is soft all the way through. Take off the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
Transfer the soup to a blender, add the sour cream and salt, and puree on high until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Check the consistency; if the soup is a little gritty, strain it through a fine mesh sieve. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight.
About 1 hour before serving, make the strawberries. Slice the strawberries into 1/2 inch slices and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle the salt and sugar over the strawberries and gently toss them with your fingers—making sure not to crush them. Let them cure for about an hour at room temperature; no longer; or they will get too soft.
To serve, ladle the chilled soup into bowls. Top each one with a few cured strawberries. Crack some fresh black pepper over the top and serve immediately.